Saturday, March 21, 2015

"I can't do a somersault. I didn't sign a waiver."

Molly is on Spring Break! There's no better way to start a vacation than with bagels and coffee and adventure so we met up Saturday morning. We wanted to do something outside so we drove to the Devoe's barn where we have YL and hiked around the woods. This Tree House would be just perfect for the Catawba girls-- what do you think Scott and Joel?

I gave Molls a grand tour of the barn, safe to say the trampoline was her favorite part. Then she got to meet KCraig and Ryan (who she thought was hilarious) before she headed out.

Today's leadership time was devoted to sharing out spiritual autobiographies. Each leader wrote 5 Post-It notes that pinpointed a moment in their life when God showed up. Though we're all friends, today we got a bigger picture of everyone's story. Hannah and Riley, Lauren and Mike, Kathy, Ryan, Abby, Nat Rat, Es, Blaire, Chad and Jacob each took a turn sharing their story and then adding their Post-Its to our shared timeline.

Just a few hours later we returned to the barn for Wyld Life Pajama Club. Because the weather was so glorious we finally were able to play outside before everything started. Stephanie brought Gabby for the first time and I was so happy to see Elyse and Natalie.

The boys all spread out in the yard to play 500. There's something pretty awesome about seeing these Junior High kids and HS leaders all running around together and all rushing for the ball.

The girls were happy to hang out on the porch while we waited for everyone to arrive and for Club to start. Girls like Silvana, Natalie, Jayla, Payton, Mady and Jordan bring so much energy and enthusiasm with them?

Want to know something pretty awesome? Jayla didn't want to run track this season but her dad still wanted her to have a busy schedule so she had to find something else to fill her time. Guess what she picked... FBC and Wyld Life. WHAT A DREAM PAIR OF EXTRACURRICULARS.

Sydney's gang showed up just in time and I was happy to see Maddie Cole arrive.

Once we reached critical mass everyone gathered on the steps for a group picture.

Everyone was heading inside when Sarah and Grace rolled up so they got their own special picture with KCraig and me.

This Pajama Party had a whole lot of slumber party games. We paired up guys and girls for some piggy bag pillow jousting. There were only a few collisions and falls so I think we can call it a success.

Raffle prizes tonight were boxes of cereal and those cereal bowls that have a straw attached so you can drink the milk.

Then 10 pairs of kids tried to be the first to tie together 10 Twizzlers while each only using one hand. It's a whole lot trickier than you might suspect.

Cameron, Garret, Henry and Tanner all give club a thumbs up.

Blaire, Natalie and Chad led us in singing Our God tonight which was phenomenal. I have such respect for Blaire leading this group and playing guitar even when we don't sound like an angelic choir. There's something beautiful in just doing this together no matter what we sound like.

Tonight I got the privilege of the giving the Club Talk at the end of the night. I talked about a mission trip in the DR carting rocks up a mountain for a week.
About a group of friends that carried their friend to Jesus and had to lower him down through the roof.
About two sisters in HSE who are making and selling friendship bracelets and giving the profits to a Syrian Children's Refugee Agency.
About how God sent Jesus to live among us and then die on the cross for us.
All of these stories are stories of love in action. We're called to do something with the gifts and talents, the experiences, the people that God has given us. On their own they're great, but when we use them to put our love into action we're making the world even more awesome.
In 1 Corinthians it's written, "No matter what I say and no matter what I believe, I'm bankrupt without love." As Christians we're called to put our love into action. That's when we're at our very best-- when we're serving, sacrificing, loving and caring about the things that God cares about.

About Me

I believe in a life of faith and celebration filled with the people I love. One of my campers once told me, "My favorite times of the year are when our lives overlap." I want to live a life where I purposefully overlap with the people I care about and I prioritize relationships. I have been blessed to become friends with some incredible people.